NFL Records Quiz: 1) In the last game of the regular season,
Baltimore”s Jermaine Lewis had two punt returns for TDs, giving
him 6 for his career. Who is the all-time leader with 9? [Hint:
Modern-era player.] 2) Marshall Faulk tallied a spectacular 160
points in 2000. Name the 3 other players who have scored 160 or
more in a single season. [Hint: All 3 kicked, except one did it
all.] Answers below.
Obituaries
A few that you may have missed over the holidays.
John Cooper: Cooper, who died at age 77, was the automotive
engineer and sportscar driver who created the Mini Cooper, the
chic vehicle of 60s London. The teensy little high-performance
car was the favorite of rock stars and actors; folks like Peter
Sellers, as well as John, Paul and Ringo, helped popularize it.
And the Mini Cooper gained a lot of fame for a spectacular stunt
scene in a Michael Caine flick, “The Italian Job,” as it weaved
through Turin”s narrow corridors, down stairs and through pipes.
Sir Alec Issigonis of the British Motor Corp., first sketched out
the design of the original Mini on the back of a cigarette pack in
the late 50s, but John Cooper was the one who turned it into a
souped-up roadster, fit for London”s fashionable streets back
then.
In an article by Warren Hoge of the New York Times, he quotes
Doug Nye, a sportswriter on auto racing. “It was the cult car of
the 60s, an icon. If the Mini was cool, then the Mini Cooper was
cool with knobs on.”
In 1958, Stirling Moss won the Argentine Grand Prix in a rear-
engine lightweight Cooper-Climax that ran the entire race
without a single pit stop for tire change, unheard of in those days.
Then in both 1959 and 1960, the great Jack Brabham drove
Cooper-Climax cars to the Formula One championship.
BMW now owns the rights to the Mini and is reviving it for later
this year. One thing about the old vehicle will have to change or
environmentalists will have a fit; that is the fact that there wasn”t
another car that fouled the air more than this one did.
Lionel Hebert: Died on Saturday at age 72. He won the PGA
Golf Tournament in 1957, the last time it was contested as match
play (against Dow Finsterwald). His brother Jay won the 1960
PGA.
Gail Fisher: I missed her passing earlier in the month. Gail was
the first black woman to appear in a national television
commercial with dialogue in 1961. She then appeared in
numerous television series, winning an Emmy for best
supporting actress in 1965 for her role as Peggy in “Mannix.”
Now I loved “Mannix” and could do a mean Peggy, “Oh hi, Joe.”
But that”s all she said, ever, during the show! Sorry, I was just a
little incredulous that she received an Emmy for that.
Harry Dorish: “Fritz” Dorish, former major league ballplayer,
died at 79. He led the American League in saves in 1952 and
compiled a 45-43 record while playing for the Red Sox, Browns,
White Sox and Orioles.
But Fritz really deserves mention because it was on June 2, 1950,
that Dorish, while playing for the St. Louis Browns, stole home
in the fifth inning of a game against the Washington Senators.
And wouldn”t you know it, but no A.L. pitcher has done it since.
And, given the existence of the DH in this league, probably
won”t for decades to come.
Bill and Hillary”s New Digs
Hard to believe that this couple that didn”t have a place of their
own that they could call home, now has two rather expensive
ones. Of course, the Clinton”s purchased their Chappaqua, NY
residence to facilitate Hillary”s senate campaign. That home cost
about $1.7 million.
And then last week they paid $2.85 million for a Georgian brick
off Embassy Row in Washington. [The home had been listed at
$3.5 million and was on the market for about 160 days.] The
Clintons purchased the 6-bedroom home by putting 30% down
while receiving a $1.995 mm loan from Citibank. Hey, that”s
where former Treasury Secretary Bob Rubin hangs his hat now!
Gee, I wonder if he had anything to do with it?
Actually, I shouldn”t be hard on them and their ability to meet all
of these huge obligations. Hillary”s $8 million book deal and
Bill”s probable speaking fee of $100,000 per (just my guess)
make it a little easier to pay the mortgages.
By the way, if you”re in the Washington area, the location is
3067 Whitehaven St. NW). Bill will be like a kid in a candy
store because his new home is right across the street from the
Royal Danish Embassy and down the street from the Italians”
diplomatic digs. “Ah, Hill? I”m just going down to the Italian
Embassy for a soda.” Oh, and pal Vernon Jordan is only two
blocks away. Girls, girls, girls. [Source: Washington Post.the
facts of this story, not my conjecture.]
Sable…the fur…not of the WWF
So, did you get a sable coat for Christmas? Like a $100,000
sable coat? Now you should know that the finest sable is still
found only in the Russian wild (specifically the Barguzin region
of Siberia).
You know, I never really knew what a sable is. Assuming some
of you don”t know either, it”s a cross between a cat and a weasel
(a cousin of both) and its coat has hues of beige, brown, gold,
silver and black. The sable feeds on pine nuts, mice, and
squirrels. It doesn”t sound like they make for good house pets,
though, but if you insist on getting one for little Susie, my advice
would be to load up on squirrels. An unhappy sable is not a good
thing.
Back in the old Soviet Union, the country was the largest fur
producer in the world. But much of the production was state-
sponsored and with the collapse of the Soviet nation, funds for
the industry have been drying up. Today, Denmark is the #1
producer in the world, followed by the U.S.
But Russia”s fur biz is still $1 billion, $2.5 billion if you factor in
illegal trade. And Russia”s hunters far outproduce the fur
ranches by 4 to 1. Actually, 10,000 licensed hunters take
250,000 sable a year during the season. [Source: Patrick Tyler /
New York Times]
Sturgeon Anyone?
Beluga caviar, the extracted eggs from a sturgeon, go for about
$100 an ounce. But only about 1,800 Beluga sturgeons spawn
each year in its Caspian Sea home, compared with some 26,000
in the mid-1960s. Fish hatcheries produce another 1,800. And I
have no idea why I”m writing this since after the Nasdaq debacle
of 2000, no one should be able to afford Beluga anyway!
[Kalugin caviar is cheaper.]
Alaskan Wildfire
Did you know that right now, as most of the country is dealing
with a wicked beginning to winter, there is a huge wildfire in the
frozen tundra of Alaska”s Yukon Delta National Wildlife
Refuge? Yup, wrote the editor. Ya see, the area under siege is
wetlands and currently snow free. Anyway, some 15,000 acres is
affected.
Robby Portalatin
Bowlers of the world, gather round. Mr. Portalatin became only
the 4th keggler in history to bowl a sanctioned 900-series (3
perfect games – 36 strikes, for you non-bowlers out there).
Portalatin, a 28-year-old worker for an auto parts company, hails
from Jackson, Michigan and bowls in 6 leagues! Geezuz. How
does he keep all those shirts clean?
Soccer Clash
I missed out on attending the titanic soccer match between Iran”s
two top teams last weekend in Tehran. I”m sure you all wanted
to go as well.
But what we missed was one of the great brawls of all time. The
score was tied 2-2, a few minutes into extra time, when a
goalkeeper punched an opponent in the face. The players started
kicking each other, it spread into the crowd of 100,000 (yes,
100,000) and then it carried over into the streets. The only report
I saw mentioned that 250 buses from one company were
significantly damaged so it must have been one helluva fight. 3
of the players were arrested, including the goalkeeper. One of
the team owners blamed a ban on women attending matches in
Iran to a deterioration of behavior among fans. Yes, Iran may
have already locked up “Dirtball Nation of the Year” for 2001!
Fans Speak Out
Sports Illustrated recently polled pro athletes to comment on fans
around the country and some choice lines they”ve heard from
hecklers. Following are a few.
–“One Jets fan was yelling at our tight end all game, ”Hey, #89,
you suck! Hey #89, you suck!” When he didn”t get any
response, he yelled at our center, ”Hey, #52, doesn”t #89 suck?””
–“Hey, Elton Brand, you play like Elton John.”
–On infamous heckler, Robin Ficker of Washington, D.C., the
NBA”s Jason Kidd said, “When I first came into the league,
Ficker held up a sign that said ASON. He said, ”Kidd, you got
no J.””
–Comment directed to Reds pitcher Scott Williamson. “Hey,
why don”t you just turn around and throw it into the gap!”
Michael Jordan…Spoiled
So His Airness is having a tough time down in Washington,
presiding over the basketball operations for the absolutely awful
6-25 Washington Wizards.
Supposedly, Jordan has attended all of 5 home games thus far,
preferring to watch the games from his Illinois home. Abe
Pollin, the owner, won”t talk about Jordan and his role. And
Jordan, himself, has been catching heat from the players for his
remark that a recent loss to the Clippers was “a disgrace.” It
was.
Point guard Rod Strickland said, “No one has more respect for
M.J. than I do, but it”s unfair for him to bash us like that. We”re
trying hard.” And as the New York Times” Ira Berkow relates, if
his comments were intended to motivate, they are having the
opposite effect.
Berkow reminds us all that Jordan is the same man who has
exhibited poor judgment before, “such as believing he could be a
major league baseball player or a gambler clever enough to beat
real-life sharpies.”
Jordan needs to emulate Magic Johnson a little more. Johnson”s
post-career moves in the business world have been spectacular
and he has handled everything with class. What Johnson has
been doing in the inner city with his various projects is inspiring.
Top 3 songs for the week of 1/7/67: #1 “I”m A Believer” (The
Monkees) #2 “Snoopy vs. The Red Baron” (The Royal
Guardsmen) #3 “Tell It Like It Is” (Aaron Nevill..e.that”s all we
ever ask for, Aaron).
NBA Fans…Morons
So the latest tally I saw in the voting for this year”s NBA All-Star
game had Grant Hill 2nd among forwards and Alonzo Mourning
1st among centers in the Eastern Conference. Correct me if I”m
wrong, but shouldn”t you have to play at least one game to be
voted in? Geezuz, at least when Willie Mays was invited to all
of those all-star games at the end of his career, he hobbled up to
the plate to take his cuts.
Johnny Unitas
Nothing more to say except that it was great seeing him on the
sidelines for Sunday”s Ravens game. They don”t make players
like him anymore.
NFL Quiz Answers: 1) Eric Metcalf has returned 9 punts for
TDs. 4 others have 8…Brian Mitchell, Rick Upchurch,
Desmond Howard and Jack Christiansen (1951-58).
2) Others who scored 160 points in a single season.
Mark Moseley (Washington), 1983…161
Gary Anderson (Minnesota), 1998…164
Paul Hornung (Green Bay), 1960…176…15 TDs (13 rushing, 2
receiving), 15-28 FGs, 41-41 XPs. *I just have to note that by
1964, Hornung”s ability as a placekicker had slipped
considerably; connecting on only 12 of 38 attempts. Ughh!
Next Bar Chat, Friday…witchcraft, Indonesian style.
*I will be adding the name of our “Pick the Dow” contest as soon
as I obtain legal clearance….
…And we just received it. Adonis Sesson of California. He nailed
the Dow by just 2 points.
